Brighton Phoenix and Brighton & Hove proved run-a-way winners of the senior titles at the Sussex Road Relay championships at Christ’s Hospital on Saturday in excellent conditions.
Phoenix had split their runners between the “A” and “B” teams and this worked well as they filled the first two team places but the “A” team did not move into the lead until the third lap when Ross Skelton overhauled his “B” team when moving up from third into the lead.
From then on Pat Acaye, James Macarthy and Robbie Fitzgibbon stretched their lead to nearly three minutes to notch up their sixth successive victory. Josh Guilmant, running for the Phoenix “B” team managed to overhaul Callum Upton (Lewes) to take the silver medal.
The opening leg had seen Neil Boniface (Horsham Joggers) just ease home in the lead in front of Howard Bristow (Brighton & Hove), who was actually running in the M40 race, Patrick Hough (Lewes) and the Brighton & Hove senior team runner Max Dumbrell and Phil Radford who all cracked the ten minute barrier.
The fastest lap was clocked by Fitzgibbon on the last lap when he was out on his own. Second fastest was Boniface with 9:50 with Hough third fastest in 9:57 though Bristow had clocked 9:52 in the M40 race.
In the women’s race Worthing’s hopes of retaining their title were shattered when neither Emma Macready or Leah Harris were available and they were further dented when Rachael Gifford steamed away at the start and took a large lead before going off course and eventually finishing well down the field.
Brighton & Hove’s Emma Dixon led at the end of the opening leg some fifty yards clear of Emma Rollings (Lewes) and Arena 80’s Emily Proto another eighty yards back in third place.
Helena Tobin stretched the Brighton & Hove lead to nearly one minute on the second leg with the day’s fastest of 11:22 while Julie Briggs (Arena 80), who is actually a veteran took over second place and ran the day’s third fastest lap in 11:51.
Over the final circuit Martha Coyle (U20) took the Brighton & Hove lead to over one minute and also clocked the second fastest lap in 11:49, ahead of former lap record holder Caroline Hoyte with Chichester a further minute adrift in third place.
In the Master’s events Brighton & Hove won both the M40 and M50 races with Brighton Phoenix the M60 while Arena 80 won the W40 and W50 titles.
Individual times in the Young Athletes races are in the results section now.
Chichester won the U15 Boys race from Lewes and Crawley while Brighton Phoenix took the Girls title from Brighton & Hove and Horsham Blue Star.
The U13 boys title was won by Lewes from Brighton & Hove and Crawley and the Girls event by Hastings from Bodyworks and Brighton Phoenix.